Sundance Film Festival

Kicking It (Review + Background Buzz + Critical Clips)

Keith Uhlich — Fri, 02 May 2008 13:38:54 -0500

Bookended by to-the-camera appeals from executive producer Colin Farrell, Kicking It initially promises to be little more than a sports channel infomercial – no surprise that this Hi-Def documentary about The Homeless World Cup was acquired by ESPN after its January premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. But there’s a good deal more to the film besides star-sanctioned awareness raising.

Bigger, Stronger, Faster* (Review + Background Buzz)

Jim — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:13:15 -0500

What should a documentary film accomplish? Should it, as its genre entails, objectively document events as they unfold in time ala Gimme Shelter? Should it be a visual essay to support the thesis of the filmmaker as demonstrated in Fahrenheit 9/11? Should it present both sides of an issue in an effort to invoke discussion like Capturing the Friedmans? Often times the angle taken depends on whether the filmmaker has a personal investment in the story. Christopher Bell, director of Bigger, Stronger, Faster*, is personally invested in the issue of steroid usage. You see, Christopher's brothers, now in their thirties, have been using steroids since high school. Bell has refrained from using but daily feels the pressure to give in for an easier way to stay in shape. Though frequently tangential in his methods, Bell uses Bigger, Stronger, Faster* to explore the reasons behind the steroid pressure in America and to clarify if steroids are as big a health threat as everyone assumes.

Man on Wire (Review + Background Buzz + Critical Clips)

Jim — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:26:13 -0500

It's impossible to turn on the TV or peruse the newspaper these days without coming across updates on suicide bombings in Iraq or headlines confirming or denying the effects of global warming. We've certainly dug ourselves into quite a great number of holes running this human race and the plethora of documentaries reminding us of it (I.O.U.S.A., Taxi to the Dark Side, An Inconvenient Truth among others) don't seem to be improving matters. But just when things seem hopeless, out of nowhere comes this illuminating spark that lights up our hearts with an infectious sense of celebration of the human spirit. In January 2008 that spark hit the Sundance Film Festival in the form of Man on Wire which captured both the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize in the World Documentary Competition. It struck again at the Full Frame Documentary Festival winning yet another Audience Award and a special jury prize. Currently playing at the Tribeca Film Festival, Man on Wire is a captivating look at the risks, rewards, and immortality achieved when one man focuses every fiber of his being on a life-long dream.

Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? (Review + Critical Clips + Background Buzz)

Mike — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:43:45 -0500

Editor's Note: This review was originally published during the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden is currently playing at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Perhaps the most anticipated documentary of this year's festival, Morgan Spurlock returns to Sundance with Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden, a follow up his 2004 debut, the piquant Super Size Me. Spurlock has certainly kept himself busy over the past four years, earning Producer credits on various projects and most notably starring in the FX reality series 30 Days, but Osama is generating a lot of buzz and is on the receiving end of a healthy promotional push from his production company, Warrior Poets.

'Trouble the Water,' 'Man On Wire' Win Big at Full Frame Festival

Jim — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:06:43 -0500

Two documentaries that debuted at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival took home the top prizes at this year's Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina.

Lincoln Center and MoMa Host Annual New Directors/New Films Series

Jim — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:00:03 -0500

Dedicated to the discovery and support of emerging artists, New Directors/New Films has earned an international reputation as the premiere festival for works that break or re-cast the cinematic mold. Twenty-six features and six shorts, handpicked by curators of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art, made the cut this year, as the 37th edition of this non-competitive program spotlights the very best in the current class of new directors, actors, producers, writers, cinematographers, editors and more.

Funny Games (Review + Background Buzz)

Jim — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:00:19 -0500

Did you ever have one of those “a-ha!” moments when watching a movie? You know, the kind where you’re utterly baffled as to what you’re watching until one solitary element of the film—be it a line of dialogue, a camera setup, or a soundtrack—acts as the keystone that suddenly makes all the jagged edges fit into one complete mosaic?

Be Kind Rewind (Review + Critical Clips + Background Buzz)

Jim — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:35:26 -0600

There are generally two camps of thought when it comes to the critiquing of Michel Gondry’s feature films: he’s a brilliant visionary or he sacrifices substance for style. 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind brought Gondry into the mass consciousness because of striking a perfect balance between substance and style. Two years later, The Science of Sleep slightly tipped the scales in the favor of misc-en-scene. Nevertheless, his track record with groundbreaking music videos and eccentric features have built up a series of expectations for audiences that aren’t appreciated by everyone, but fiercely defended by those who are appreciative. It’s because of these reasons that his latest endeavor, Be Kind Rewind is so disappointing.

Diary of the Dead (Review)

Jim — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:00:00 -0600

This review was originally written to coincide with Diary of the Dead's release at the Sundance Film Festival. The film is now playing in limited release across the country.

If you’re a horror fan, you know all about what makes George A. Romero a legend: his films are studied and analyzed in film schools, he pioneered the rules for the zombie sub-genre which have been followed for decades, and his work has influenced generations of filmmakers after him. When Night of the Living Dead was made in 1968, no one could foresee how Romero’s influence would popularize the template for the power of horror’s socio-political implications; a trend that future filmmakers, and he himself, carried on for decades afterwards.

What Just Happened (Critical Clips + Background Buzz)

Mike — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 12:17:47 -0600

Barry Levinson's (Wag the Dog, Rain Man, Good Morning Vietnam) latest comedy What Just Happened is one of the hottest properties at the festival this year, sporting an all star cast (Robert De Niro, Catherine Keener, Sean Penn, Bruce Willis, John Turturro) and serious crowd appeal.